Improvement in carriage-curtain fastenings



A 1. H. GL'EASUN. Carriage Curtain Fastenings.

NO. 138,799, Patented May/13.1873.

Wihzvessmh Inwizlwm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. GLEASON, OF TROY, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN CARRlAGE-CURTAIN FASTENINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 138,799, dated May 13, 1873; application led October 8, 1872.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN H. GLEASON, of the city of Troy, in the county of Rensselaer and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Carriage-Knobs, of which the following is a specication, reference being had to the accompanying drawing.

Knobs for securing curtains to the-rails along the ends and backs of the seats of carriages commonly have wrought-metal stems or shanks, and are fastened to thexrailsby boring holes through the latter and inserting and riveting therein the Shanks or stems of the knobs; but the drilling or boring of the holes through the long, slender, and bent metallic rails is difficult and expensive, and greatly weakens the rails so that they are quite liable to be broken in use at the points where the knobs are thus attached, and the rails are very difclt and expensive to repair when thus broken; and the knobs when thus attached cannot be changed in their positions or adjusted longitudinally on the rails to correspond with the positions of the holes in the curtains.

To avoid these defects is the principal object of my invention; and my improved carriage-knob consists, essentially, of a hinged, jointed, or flexible clasp having its two end portions formed into a two-part or longitudinally-divided shank with a screw-thread thereon, in combination with a removable button-knob screwedupon the said divided shank, so that upon unscrewing the buttonknob from the divided shank of the clasp the latter can then be spread open and pressed over the rail of the carriage-seat, and by then screwing the button-knob upon the two parts of the shank of the clasp the clasp can be tightened upon and rmly fastened to the rail, and so that the clasp can be readily loosened by unscrewing the button-knob and adjusted longitudinally on the rail, and refastened thereto by screwing up the button= knob to make the knob correspond with the position of the hole in the curtain very accurately. p

In the aforesaid drawing, Figures l, 2, and

3 are top views of three varieties of my improved carriage knobs, each attached to a part of the rail of a carriage-seat. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation, and Fig. 5 is an end view, of the knob and portion of rail, shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a section of the button-knob, and Fig. 7 a side view, of the hinged or jointed clasp, shown in Figs. 1, 4, and 5. Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation of the parts, shown in Fig. 2; and Fig. 9 is a side view of the liexible clasps thereof partly expanded. Fig. l0 is a sectional elevation of the parts, shown in Fig. 3; and Fig. 11 is a View of the flexible clasps thereof in a partly expanded condition.

A is the button-knob having a screw-thread, b, Fig. 6 therein, and a recess, c, for retain^ ing the curtain back of the button d. E is the exible or jointed clasp, of which the end portions f f constitute a vlongitudinally-divided or two-part shank with a screw-thread thereon corresponding to the screw-thread in the button-knob.

In Figs. 1, 4, 5, and 7 the clasp E consists of two pieces hinged or pivoted together at g. In Figs. 2, 8, 9, 3, 10, and 11 the main portion of the clasp between the shank parts ff is thin and flexible. In either case, upon unscrewing and removing the knob A, the clasp E can then be spread open, so that it can be put'over a carriage-rail, Z, of suitable form and size, and then the two end portions f f can "be brought together and the knob A screwed thereon, as indicated in Figs. 4, 8,

and 10, so as to thereby iirmly fasten the clasp E upon the rail.

By unscrewing the knob A on the divided shank ff the clasp E will be loosened so that it can be slid along on the rail Z, and also turned thereon in case the rail is round, so

that the knob can be set in different positions to accurately correspond with button-holes in the curtains at various points along the rail.

The improved carriage knobs above described can be fastened to the rails of car riage-seats much quicker and with far less ner, and can be readily adjusted lengthwise tions ofthe clasp, and the removable buttonon the rails to fit the holes in the curtains. knob. screwed upon the said two-part shank,l

What I claim as my invention, and/desire substantially as herein described. Y

to secure by Letters Patent, is- JOHN H. GLEASON.

A carriage curtain fastener having the Witnesses:

hinged, jointed, or lexible clasp With the tWo- JOHN MORAN,

part screw-threaded shank on the end por- AUSTIN F. PARK. 

